In the field of micro-fluid ejection devices, ink jet printers are an exemplary application where miniaturization continues to be pursued. However, as micro-fluid ejection devices get smaller, there is an increasing need for unique designs and improved production techniques to achieve the miniaturization goals. For example, the increasing demand of putting more colors in a single inkjet cartridge requires the addition of fluid flow passageways from the cartridge body to the ejection head that, without radical changes in production techniques, will require larger ejection head substrates. However, the trend is to further miniaturize the ejection devices and thus provide even smaller ejection head substrates. An advantage of smaller ejection head substrates is a reduction in material cost for the ejection heads. However, this trend leads to challenges relating to the attachment of such substrates to a multi-fluid supply reservoir.
As the ejection heads are reduced in size, it becomes increasingly difficult to adequately segregate multiple fluids in the cartridges from one another yet provide the fluids to different areas of the ejection heads. One of the limits on spacing of fluid passageways in the ejection head substrate is an ability to provide correspondingly small, and closely-spaced passageways from the fluid reservoir to the ejection head substrate. Another limit on fluid passageway spacing is the ability to adequately align the passageways in the fluid reservoir with the passageways in the ejection head substrate so that the passageways are not partially or fully blocked by an adhesive used to attach to the ejection head to the reservoir.
Thus, there continues to be a need for improved structures and manufacturing techniques for micro-fluid ejection head components for ejecting multiple fluids onto a medium.
With regard to the foregoing, the disclosure provides a micro-fluid ejection device structure, a multi-fluid cartridge containing the ejection device structure, and methods for making the ejection device structure and cartridge. The micro-fluid ejection device structure includes a fluid supply body containing at least three fluid supply slots therein. An ejection head substrate having fluid feed slots therein is attached to the fluid supply body. Each of the fluid supply slots in the body is in flow communication with at least one of the fluid feed slots in the substrate. A plurality of adhesive bond lines adhesively attach the ejection head substrate and the fluid supply body to one another. Each of the adhesive bond lines have a width of less than about 600 microns and are located between adjacent ones of the fluid supply slots in the body.
In a second embodiment, the disclosure provides a method of making a micro-fluid ejection device structure for a multi-fluid cartridge. An adhesive is applied to a die bond surface of a fluid supply body. The adhesive and body are ablated to form a plurality of fluid flow slots through the adhesive and body and to provide adhesive bond lines having a width of less than about 600 microns. A semiconductor substrate containing a plurality of fluid ejection devices thereon is affixed to the adhesive.
In another embodiment, the disclosure provides a method of making a micro-fluid ejection device structure for a multi-fluid cartridge. The method includes applying a die bond adhesive layer to a multi-fluid cartridge body. A semiconductor substrate is affixed to the die bond adhesive. The semiconductor substrate contains a plurality of ejection actuators adjacent three or more fluid feed slots therein and a nozzle plate attached to the substrate. Fluid flow paths are laser formed in the adhesive and body corresponding to the fluid feed slots in the semiconductor substrate by passing a laser beam through the nozzle plate.
An advantage associated with at least some of the apparatus and methods disclosed herein is that multiple different fluids may be ejected from a micro-fluid ejection device that is less costly to manufacture and has dimensions that enable increased miniaturization of operative parts of the device. Continued miniaturization of the operative parts enables micro-fluid ejection devices to be used in a wider variety of applications. Such miniaturization also enables the production of ejection devices, such as a printer, having smaller footprints without sacrificing print quality or print speed. The exemplary apparatus and methods described herein can also reduce the size of a silicon substrate used in such micro-fluid ejection devices without sacrificing the ability to suitably eject multiple different fluids from the ejection devices.